Registering-triangle.



J. MEAUHAM.

REGISTERING TRIANGLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13-. 1909.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

. 211 662265363 fi/KM ym fiwiaw/ JAMES MEACHAM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

REGISTERING-TRIANGLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22, 1910.

Application filed May 13, 1909. Serial No. 495,822.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MEAOHAM, a citizen of Canada residing at Los Angeles, California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Registering-Triangles, of which the following is a specification.

It is an object of this invention to improve in certain respects upon the registering triangle patented by J. H. Dougherty, Aug. 2, 1904, No. 766,228. With this end in view my newly invented triangle for setting up the balls used in playing pool and for registering the number of games played, is provided with an additional hinge to allow two of the side members to be opened simultaneously, and is also provided with an improvement in the registering features to electrically indicate the number of games played by an indicator which may be at the proprietors desk. Other objects and advantages may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention :Figure 1 is a plan view of the device in position for use. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the side of the appliance where the indicator is located showing the electrical connections diagrammatically. Fig. 3 is a detail of the indicating mechanism with parts broken away to contract the view and to disclose underlying parts. A sectional view of the locking de vice is also shown in this figure, the line of section being indicated as line 33 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail to illustrate the locking device in a difierent position, parts being broken away to contract the view. Fig. 5 is a plan detail of a portion of the locking device. Fig. .6 is a section detail illustrating the connection between the indicator-operating and latch-operating means.

Referring in detail to the drawings,the frame of the triangle consists of the central or tie piece 1 and the wings 2 and 3. The wing 2 is hinged to the piece 1 by a hinge 4 and the wing 3 is likewise hinged to the member 1 by the hinge 5. Wing 2 is provided with the operating handle 6 and the wing 3 with the operating handle 7.

By employing two wings or members pivotally connected with the appliance, instead of only one hinged wing as in the triangle described in the patent above referred to, it is possible to more completely separate the sides of the triangle from the pool balls so that the appliance may be withdrawn with less danger of disturbing the balls. This will be evident if it is noted that when the hinged sides 2 and 3 are thrown to the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the triangle may be withdrawn toward the side occupied by the tie-piece 1, without disturbing the position of the balls, even though the triangle should be moved considerably toward one side or the other while it was be ing withdrawn. If one side of the triangle only were hinged, it could not be opened as quickly, and when opened, unless the triangle were withdrawn nearly along a line approximately bisecting the angle nearest the operator, one side or the other of the tri angle would be moved while in contact with the row of balls at that side, tending to rotate them and to displace the whole set of balls.

Upon the member 3 is mounted a counting device designated in a general way by the numeral8. Said counting device is operated by a push bar 11 furnished with a lateral lug 12 and a hooked end portion or tooth 13 at its lower end. Said push bar 11 is normally held extended as shown in Fig. 3 by means of a spring 14: coiled about a stud 15 and engaging at its free end a pin 14 carried by the push bar. 11 is a stop to limit the upward movement of the push bar by engaging a lug 11 formed thereon. The counting device, separately considered, forms no part of the invention and its internal construction is therefore not described in detail. Said push bar 11 is provided at its upper end with a deflected head or arm 16 upon which rests the head or thumb piece 17 of the operating lever 18.

19 is a keeper which takes under the head 16 to prevent the operator from separating the upper end of the push bar from the thumb piece 17.

The unit counting wheel 20 is actuated by a star wheel 21 which is operated by the push bar 11 as will now be described. Every time the push bar 11 is depressed the lug 12 engages a tooth of the wheel 21 and slightly rotates the wheel. Upon the release of the push bar the spring 14 throws the same to its original position and brings the tooth 18 against the lower side of one of the teeth of the wheel 21 locking said wheel in the advanced position with a new number of the units wheel in view in the sight opening of the indicator. The lever 18 for operating the indicator is provided with an eX- tension 18 having a deflected arm 22 having lugs 23 at the end thereof. Between said lugs 23 is pivoted a catch 24': upon a pivot pin or screw 25. 26 designates a spring engaging the heel 27 of said catch to hold the catch in the depressed position as shown in Fig. 3. The extension 18 of lever 18 is desirably provided with a flat head 18 broad enough to always cover the recess 18.

The free end of the wing2 is provided with a latch plate 28 having an opening 29 into which the catch 2 1 may enter when the wing 2 is swung to the closed position. 31 are guide pins carried by the free end of the wing 2 and adapted to enter the sockets 32 in the end of the wing 3.

In order to indicate to the proprietor the number of games played a counting device may also be placed upon. the proprietors desk and electrically connected with the appliance as will now be described. In Fig. 2 such additional counting device 33 is diagrammatically indicated being connected by means of the wires 34 and 35 with the triangle in a manner to indicate the movements of the operating lever 18. 36 designates the battery providing the current.

In order to make a circuit when the thumb piece 17 of the lever 18 is depressed, the wire 35 is connected with the lever permanently as by being led to the pivot 37 thereof and the wire 35 is led to the binding post 38, said binding post being provided with a spring contact 39 which is engaged by the lever 18 shortly before the indicator 8 can be operated. Lever 18 is desirably pivoted to a plate e0 fastened to the wing 3.

In operation, the wings 2 and 3 can be t swung together readily without operating the operating lever, but in opening said wings the thumb piece 17 must be depressed to withdraw the lip of the catch from the lower side of the plate 28; then the wings can be partly opened until the upper side of the plate 28 engages the rear side of the upper portion of the catch as will be seen from the position of the dotted lines in Fig.

3; then by releasing the thumb piece 17 and allowing it to rise the catch 24: is allowed to move down permitting the free ends of the wings to be completely separated. It will be understood. that before this operation the pool balls &1 are placed within the rack in the position shown in Fig. 1 so that when the wings are fully separated the appliance 1 may be withdrawn without disturbing the position of the balls. 4:1 are the channels around the inside of the frame to hold the pool balls in place. lever 18.

It Will be seen that the means for operat- I mg the counting device and releasing the wings permits the counting device to remain inoperative durmg the closing of the wings.

table to hold the balls in the set-up position 12 is a casing for the i without the counting device being operated until the players remove the triangle from the balls.

The wings cannot be completely closed except when the operating arm 18 is in the normal or released position, because the catch 25 would otherwise be depressed as shown in Fig. 1 and would not completely enter the opening 29. This feature prevents the players from beating the machine by making it impossible to prevent registration by keeping the thumb piece continually depressed.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a triangle frame consisting of three members, one of said members forming a tie-piecehav ing one of the other members hinged to each end thereof, counting device, a catch for fastening said hinged members together at their free ends, means for operating said catch and counting device, and a handle attached to the middle portion of each of said hinged members, one of said handles being located in proximity to said catch-operating means to permit the thumb of the operator to release the catch.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with the frame having the wing hinged thereto; of a catch to releasablv fasten the free end of said wing in the closed position, a counting device carried by said frame, and means for operating both said counting device and said catch, said last named means being movable in one direction to operate said counting device and partially release said wing, and being movable in the reverse direction to completely release said wing.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination, with the tie-piece having the wings hinged thereto; of means for releasably holding the free end of said wings in closed position, a counting device, and means for operating said counting device and releasing said wings, said last named means permitting the counting device to remain inoperative during the closing of said wings and causing it to be positively operated before said wings are completely released.

l. In a device of the character described, the combination, with the frame having a wing hinged thereto; of catch means for releasably holding the free end of said wing in closed position, a counting device carried by said frame, and an operating member for actuating said counting device, said actuating member being operatively connected with said catch means to prevent the complete closing of said wing except when said opera triangle frame consisting of a tie-piece 1 1 1e tiiangle may theieiole be left on the having one of the other members hinged to each end thereof, said hinged members being toward the side occupied by said tie-piece and in a direction approximately at right adapted for manual operation to simultanescribing Witnesses at Los Angeles, in the ously separate the same a sufficient distance county of Los Angeles and State of Ca1i- 10 to permit the triangle to be Withdrawn fornia, this eighth day of May 1909.

JAMES MEACHAM.

angles thereto. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have hereunto ALBERT H. MERRILL, signed my name in the presence of two sub- FRANK W. HOVEY. 

